The craft beer craze has officially arrived at McCormick Place, which is preparing to launch its own branded beer at the Chicago Auto Show beginning this week.

McCormick Place Everyday Ale, brewed by the Bourbonnais-based BrickStone Brewery using some hops grown in the rooftop garden atop the convention center's West Building, will be available in cans and on tap at "select McCormick Square and BrickStone locations" on an ongoing basis, according to the Thursday news release.

The convention center joins other Chicago institutions like the Field Museum and Morton Arboretum, which have launched their own craft beers.

McCormick Place's pale ale is what's known as a "session ale," which roughly translates to low alcohol content, and has a "light malt backbone and hopped with Citra, Amarillo and Cascade hops," the release said. The beer's alcohol by volume is 5.2 percent.

In recent years, McCormick Place has worked to increase its offerings of local and sustainably grown food to help set it apart from convention centers in other cities. For the past three years, McCormick Place has contracted with the Chicago Botanic Garden to tend to a 20,000-square-foot rooftop garden that grows food served in the convention center.

Last year, more than 70 hop plants were planted in the rooftop garden. The beer production is a partnership between BrickStone and Savor, the company that manages food service at McCormick Place.

"For many visitors coming to Chicago for a trade show, McCormick Place may be the spot where they spend most of their time. We want to introduce these visitors to the region's many wonderful makers, brewers and bakers," said Doug Bradley, Savor's Chicago vice president of culinary, in the news release.